It was 9 a.m. on a weekend. Why would a bunch of kids and Crusaders wake up so early on their day off? Sigma Pi Chemistry Club says it’s because science is fun. The campus organization hosted an informational event for children in Wells Science Hall Saturday, Nov. 16. As youngsters from the community arrived on campus, they received a pair of goggles and a brochure of all the activities for the day. One demonstration featured a giant bubble, where children were engulfed in a huge soapy ring. Another option was the slime section, a chemical concoction to get the kids excited. What child doesn’t love to play with green goop? The favorite of the day was the liquid nitrogen juice and ice cream. Chemistry Club members poured nitrogen into tubs of orange or apple juice, freezing the drinks to create tasty treats. The children enjoyed watching the colorless, odorless smoke crystallize their favorite breakfast drinks. Associate professor Dr. Linda Gao teaches in the College of Sciences and advises Sigma Pi. She helped oversee the planning of Science Saturday. “I hope the kids get a positive message about chemistry from today. It’s a cool way to make people excited about the small things, like the uses of household chemicals you see in daily life,” Gao said. Sigma Pi is made up of chemistry majors and minors but welcomes anyone with a knack for experimenting. The group puts on a variety of events every semester, but Science Saturday is a favorite for members. Senior cell biology major and environmental officer Codi Hammons co-directed the event. She hopes the youngsters left with a better attitude toward science. When Hammons joined the organization her freshman year, she appreciated the work Sigma Pi does for the community, like highway cleanup and educational events like Saturday’s. She encourages students to join their group. She said, “I’ve made a lot of friends through this. Science Saturday is definitely my favorite thing we do.” When Sigma Pi members aren’t volunteering, they have monthly meetings, which include safety lessons, event briefings and, of course, pie. Senior cell biology/bio chemistry major and vice president of the club, Lindsay Leissner, loves seeing what the members bring to meetings. She said, “Last time we met, we had pizza. It was a pizza pie because we always have to have pie at meetings. It’s so much...

Sarah Thebarge has a unique story. The soft-spoken cancer survivor, Yale graduate and author made her first trip to Texas from Portland, Ore., Nov. 6 to share it with students during chapel. She said, “I missed the day God gave out voices in Heaven.” The distinguishable characteristic had the audience members sitting at the edge of their seats, hanging onto every word that came from the petite woman’s mouth. Thebarge grew up in an Amish community in Pennsylvania where she constantly struggled to overcome social expectations that limited her as a woman. She attended Yale University and graduated with a master’s degree in medicine. Her next stop was Columbia University to pursue a master’s degree in journalism. While in New York, Thebarge was diagnosed with breast cancer and became very ill. Her lifelong dream of traveling to Africa crumbled apart just as her life seemed to be doing. In the parking lot of Starbucks, her boyfriend of three years broke up with her. Thebarge said, “I wish I could’ve driven cancer to Starbucks and told it ‘we’ve had a good run, but this isn’t working out for me anymore.’” With a broken soul and empty heart, Thebarge thought she was worthless. She bought a one way ticket to Portland, Ore., and landed there with just a suitcase of clothes. On a train, a Somali girl curled up in Thebarge’s lap. She made eye contact with the mother of five girls who turned out to be refugees. Thebarge got their address and visited a few days later. She found the family enduring horrible living conditions. The mother dumpster-dived for food. Many meals consisted of moldy bread and ketchup. They had one blanket to share and inadequate clothing for the winter. Thebarge created a relationship with the Somali family. With the help of her church, she gave them food, clothes and heat. She showed the girls Disney movies. What Thebarge really wanted to give the girls was an opportunity to go to college. Unable to write a check that large, she began turning the blog she had been keeping about the family’s story into a book called Invisible Children. The proceeds would benefit the girls’ college funds. Junior marketing major Joy Watson attended chapel and the question-and-answer session with Thebarge. Watson was most inspired to hear “how Sarah learned to use her past to inspire people.” She said, “It’s a reminder to not let the past get in the way of the future. God uses the broken.” Thebarge is passionate about emphasizing the importance of inner beauty in women. She said, “In fairy tales, women are always waiting to be saved....

At this point in the semester, students hit a wall as advising, housing and midterms flood the minds of the young scholars, while others work diligently behind the scenes to prepare for them a small breather —Missions Emphasis Week. While planning this annual event, which took place Oct. 21-25, the directors and committee continually strive to stir the hearts of students in more than one way: share Christianity with students and ignite a call to action in believers. “Everyone is called to live like a missionary, even if it’s not overseas,” junior English major and steering committee member Bethany Pittman said. “We wanted to get people involved, (especially) those who did not have a mindset of missions.” The committee’s goal was to expose students on both ends of the spectrum. They did this by urging professors to give missionaries their class period. As a result, mission workers were scheduled for more than 110 classes before the week began, breaking the campus record, while more were scheduled throughout the week. “We want (students) to connect with missionaries, so this year we really wanted to see the campus get more involved,” junior nursing major and Missions Emphasis Week codirector Joseph Salley said. In addition to in-class discussion, the 40 plus missionaries who strolled the campus last week made their way into several university-wide seminars and various meet-and-greet events. Couples and individuals from every facet of nonprofit mission-based organizations came to tell their story and encourage students to discover their calling. “We share things, but we don’t know what people are going to do,” missionary and co-founder of Volunteer for China, David Wilson, said. “It would be a mistake for me to talk you into going anywhere. You’re just as much a missionary as I am.” Wilson discussed his call for missions with listeners. Both he and his wife, Ann Wilson, worked in professional math and science fields for more than 30 years. Upon retirement, the couple volunteered with various organizations until they founded one of their own. Given their educational background and their retired life status, Wilson described their situation as “ironic.” “I never thought I’d be doing this. I never dreamed that I would be visiting another country or teaching English in China,” he said. Others like Butch and Nell Green, who serve with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as strategic catalyst for Muslim Internationals, found their calling at their university during their college days. Nell praises the work of the Baptist Student Ministry on her campus and understands the importance of it in the lives of UMHB students. “We were grown, nurtured and called through the BSM,” Nell said. “We just...

The Avengers, Napoleon Dynamite, Crunk and a Whoopee Cushion were all present at the second annual Costume Kickball. Or at least good representations of these iconic characters all came out to the rec fields to compete for the second annual kickball championship. Campus Recreation hosted the event Oct. 31 to help celebrate the Halloween holiday. The event took the popular activity of kickball and combined it with traditional costumes to create an atmosphere of comedy and good sport. “This type of event targets all students, but specifically students who just want to have fun,” Director of Campus Recreation Sue Weaver said. “Students who might not be quite as competitive or athletic might also be attracted to this type of event, so we like to find events that might be attractive to this type student.” Weaver and the campus rec staff have started holding more of these stand-alone events lately in addition to the typical intramural activities. “A lot of students also don’t have the amount of time an intramural league sometimes requires,” she said. “One-night events are also great for them.” Four teams signed up for the kickball tournament: Trans-Am, Suns out Guns out, Here Come the Runs and last but not least SGA, a group comprised of the university’s politicians. Play commenced at 5:30 p.m. and from the outset it was apparent that the teams’ focus was on a good time, not necessarily a flawless kickball performance. The good nature shared between the competitors became obvious at one point when a first baseman toppled over into the mud in a tangle of ostrich and human legs; the victim along with everyone else shared a good laugh. Junior marketing and economics double major Ryan Sewell was dressed as a whoopee cushion when he showed up to play for team SGA. He enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere but was also trying to make some noise in the championship run. “I like that people have some ridiculous costumes and it’s just really laid back and people are having fun,” Sewell said. “I mean I’m trying to get an intramural championship shirt, so once I found out I get a shirt for winning, no holdbacks.” Luckily for Sewell and company they won their first game in dominating fashion, getting their chance to play for a kickball title. In the championship game, SGA got off to a quick 8-0 lead. For a while it looked like SGA would run away with the game, but Suns Out Guns Out wasn’t going to go away without a fight. In the bottom of the seventh inning Suns Out Guns Out finally got their offense going kicking off...

Once upon a stormy night, while I listened, bemused and busy, Over many an informal and familiar volume of rhythmic lore— … suddenly there came a happening, as of someone loudly squawking … Ah, distinctly I remember it was the ancient raven’s “Nevermore!” Parody of “The Raven.” On Jan. 29, 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” was published in the New York Evening Mirror. Most are familiar with the poem, and it’s hard to forget, especially for those who heard senior English major Marnie Cannon’s rendition of the raven’s voice at Sigma Tau Delta’s Edgar Allan Poe party Oct. 30. Cannon is the president of Sigma, and she put a voice to the squawking raven that caused attendees to see Poe’s bird in a new light. “I love doing silly little things like that,” she said. The party began at 8 p.m., giving the sun a chance to slip into bed. A dark, stormy night accentuated the creepy aspects of the party as students, faculty, and one dog, known as Edgar Allan Pup, arrived. Things kicked off with snacks and refreshments. There seemed to be a little bit of everything—from five layered dip to Cannon’s “pumpkin pizza,” she said, “which were just cheese pizzas that had two cheeses to make it look slightly like a pumpkin, without the stem.” Cannon said that in the past there were too many sweets at the event, but this year’s food “set up was a really nice balance.” Senior graphic design major Diana Fadal agrees. She was one of several non-English majors in attendance; she said that the party “was really fun” and she would attend future Sigma events. And that’s the type of environment the organization hopes to create. “If you enjoy anything to do with literature and writing and like being around people, then we are happy to have you,” Cannon said. “Many of our events, like the Poe Party, are open to the entire campus.” Shortly after everyone had time to get snacks and refreshments, the traditional reading of “The Raven” began. “How can you have a Poe party and not read ‘The Raven,’” said senior English major Rachel Almeida, who was dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid. A costume contest was also on the agenda. “There was Medusa and Midas. There was a frog … there were some Harry Potter characters,” Fadal said. But her favorite was “the guy who came as Wolverine.” A trivia contest tasked attendees to solve riddles regarding different school buildings and locations. Then the group gathered to tell of their encounters with apparitions and ghosts. Fadal said that of all the stories,...

If a tornado ripped through the middle of campus and blew the roof off the buildings, what would you do? On Nov. 1, the Baptist Student Ministry hosted an event to help prepare students for disaster scenarios and what they can do to help relieve such situations. Senior nursing major Stephanie Garza learned about the disaster training opportunity through MyCampus. Though her nursing career will play a big part in her future, she decided attending the disaster relief training would help her prepare for unexpected circumstances now. “On the side of actually having a nursing job, I want to help the community out if there’s ever a natural disaster like a tornado,” Garza said. Garza joined 14 other students and local residents for the Disaster Relief Yellow Cap Orientation, the first level of response training through the Texas Baptist Men organization. For $10, volunteers completed orientation and received Disaster Response certified badges, which enable them to assist at future crises. The session was led by Chuck Christian, leader of the food team for the Central Texas Disaster Relief Team. “We acquired a feeding unit from south Texas and brought it to Belton,” he said. “The purpose of that unit (is to) go on call-out, to go provide hot meals for first responders and for the people that have been affected by the disaster.” Christian and his unit were some of the responders at the April explosion in West. He believes responding to disasters provides the opportunity to be “Jesus with skin” to those affected by tragedy. Orientation included the history of the Disaster Relief ministry and the traits of being a volunteer. Some who attended the training session had ties to the explosion in West. Others wanted to be better equipped to help others in future incidents. Arnold ‘Peewee’ and Carolyn Insall are two such people with a heart for ministering during disasters. Both chaplain-certified team members, they shared stories from their first experience of disaster response during a 10-day flood relief trip to El Paso. “The second day it got bad,” Peewee said. “You’re not used to seeing all the devastation.” Despite the sorrow, the Insalls discovered that serving those in need is the most rewarding part of being disaster responders. “The people we touched, touched us more,” Carolyn said. “It’s such a wonderful feeling.” Thanks to the Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief staff and the BSM, students and volunteers have an opportunity to help when the need arises. “When’s the last time you ever planned a hurricane? Or a tornado? You never know what to expect,” Christian said. He encourages those who completed Yellow Cap Orientation to...

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Owned and published by UMHB, The Bells is a biweekly publication. We applaud diversity, allowing editorial statements to express the opinion of those listed in the byline.Opinions do not necessarily reflect the adviser’s, staff’s and/or the university’s opinion.Read more »

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The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor prepares students for leadership, service, and faith-informed discernment in a global society.